Christmas is the perfect season to indulge yourself in crafting and to spread your creative wings. It is one of the most joyful times of the year where you can bring imagination to life making your own decorations, gifts and greetings! And why stick to traditional Christmas colour schemes, when you can choose your own?

This is where my research began …

It all started during a weekend while walking in the beautiful streets of Notting Hill. I suddenly saw a sign: “Always a good time… for Doughnuts!” My mind immediately clicked and I thought, ‘why not have a sweet Christmas, with a pastel colour scheme?’ And so, my chosen colour palette: muted tones of mint, gentle peach, quirky pink and off course, the elegant and sophisticated lavender!

After eating the yummy ‘Sia Later’ doughnut, I was ready to start designing my Christmas Bauble collection — ‘Doughnut Style’. I wanted to give it a contemporary twist, so by playing and mixing my colour scheme and themes, I ended up with six unique baubles; the little girl represents me (I couldn’t decide which doughnut to eat first!), the blonde boy is my husband who loves listening to music (so I painted doughnut headphones). Then, the remaining four symbolise my love for animals; the cat — fashion and my passion for the brand Miss Patina, the dog — friendship and loyalty, the rabbit —connection to the natural world of Beatrix Potter, the bear — snowy and wintry flair.

I am so proud to announce that my doughnut baubles collection will be presented at ‘ Il Mondo Creativo’ in Bologna on Saturday 24^th November, where I will be demonstrating on stage how to choose a theme and what to do during the creative process! In addition, I will be running a workshop Personalising your Christmas Baubles.

Are you inquisitive? The aim of the workshop is to learn some simple but effective techniques to customise ceramic baubles. You will get two baubles in your starter pack and I will cover how to apply gold leaf effectively, how to use metallic markers for calligraphy effects, and much more! All sponsored by Hobbycraft.

You can find and book onto my workshop — book in advance, there are limited spaces!

There are so many other workshops and events at the fair as well as hundreds of stalls with amazing handmade products. Plan your journey to Bologna and if you are coming from the UK, you can book flights from London Heathrow and be there in no time. Spend the weekend in this historic and cultural city.

Looking for a place to stay? I found an enchanting B&B Ca’ Vermiglia It’s in the heart of Bologna, but somehow feels like the countryside, surrounded by a beautiful garden and olive trees.